1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game system, a game machine, a game data distribution machine, a network system and an information storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Normally, each machine on a network operates asynchronously in relation to a clock signal which determines operating speed of an image display and the like within the machine. Accordingly, there is a case when the progress such as image display or the like becomes different gradually between each of machines, thus giving a sense of incongruity to a person watching the images.
Then, in order to solve this problem, the inventor of the present application has provided a method of transmitting a clock signal itself which is the basis of synchronization and distributed data including game data from one master machine to each slave machine to synchronize the respective machines.
However, when an enough transmission band for distributing such clock signal itself cannot be ensured, an amount of data for synchronization and a number of times of distributing data for synchronization must be reduced.
Particularly, in a network type game system in which players play a game executed on real-time while a plurality of game machines are synchronized each other, it is important to synchronize the respective game machines adequately so as not to give any sense of incongruity to the persons watching the game screens.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a game system, a game machine, a game data distribution machine, a network system and an information storage medium which allow the clock of the respective machines to be synchronized adequately without giving any sense of incongruity to persons watching images displayed based on data distributed among the respective machines linked to a network via a transmission path having a limited transmission band.
(1) In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to a first aspect of the invention, with a game system in which at least one slave machine is connected with a master machine via a transmission path, the slave machine and the master machine operating synchronously each other,
the master machine comprises:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed; and
means for transmitting the generated indication data to the slave machine,
the slave machine comprises:
means for receiving the indication data transmitted from the master machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the slave machine so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the master machine based on the received indication data, and
the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the slave machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the slave machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the master machine and to increase the clock speed of the slave machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the master machine, based on the received indication data.
(2) According to a second aspect of the invention, with a network system in which at least one image display machine is connected with an image distribution machine for distributing image data for displaying images on the image display machine via a transmission path, the image display machine and the image distribution machine operating synchronously each other,
the image distribution machine comprises:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed; and
means for transmitting the generated indication data to the image display machine,
the image display machine comprises:
means for receiving the indication data transmitted from the image distribution machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the image display machine so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the image distribution machine based on the received indication data, and
the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the image display machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the image display machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the image distributing machine and to increase the clock speed of the image display machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the image distributing machine, based on the received indication data.
(3) According to a third aspect of the invention, a game data distribution machine for distributing game data for playing a game to a plurality of game machines in which the game is played while a progressing state of the game in each of the game machines is synchronous each other comprises:
means for generating the game data;
means for generating indication data indicative of the clock speed which determines generating speed of the game data; and
means for transmitting the indication data and the game data to the game machines.
(4) According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a game machine for playing a game with another game machine while a progressing state of the game in the game machine is synchronous with a progressing state of the game in the other game machine comprises:
means for receiving game data from a game data distribution machine for distributing the game data to the game machine and to the other game machine, and indication data indicative of clock speed from the game data distribution machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the game machine so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the other game machine based on the received indication data,
wherein the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the game machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the game data distribution machine and to increase the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the game data distribution machine, based on the received indication data.
(5) According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating synchronously with another game machine comprises:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed in realizing the master function;
means for transmitting the generated indication data to the other game machine in realizing the master function;
means for receiving the indication data sent from the other game machine in realizing the slave function;
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed by a predetermined adjustment amount at a time, based on the received indication data in realizing the slave function; and
means for executing a game based on the adjusted clock speed in realizing the slave function,
wherein the clock adjusting means reduces the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the other game machine and increases the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the other game machine, based on the received indication data.
(6) According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a game machine realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function and operating synchronously with another game machine comprises:
a circuit for generating indication data indicative of clock speed in realizing the master function;
a circuit for transmitting the generated indication data to the other game machine in realizing the master function;
a circuit for receiving the indication data sent from the other game machine in realizing the slave function;
a clock adjusting circuit for adjusting the clock speed by a predetermined adjustment amount at a time, based on the received indication data in realizing the slave function; and
a circuit for executing a game based on the adjusted clock speed in realizing the slave function,
wherein the clock adjusting circuit reduces the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the other game machine and increases the clock speed of the game machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the other game machine, based on the received indication data.
(7) According to a seventh aspect of the invention, with computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for synchronizing among a plurality of game machines in which the game is played while a progressing state of the game in each of the game machines is synchronous each other,
the information further comprises information for realizing:
means for generating indication data which indicates clock speed for determining generating speed of game data for playing the game and is a reference of operating speed of the game machines; and
means for transmitting the indication data to the game machines.
(8) According to an eighth aspect of the invention, with computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for a computer playing a game with a game machine while a progressing state of the game in the computer is synchronous with a progressing state of the game in the game machine,
the information further comprises information for realizing:
means for receiving game data from a game data distribution machine for distributing the game data to the computer and to the game machine, and indication data indicative of clock speed from the game data distribution machine; and
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed of the computer so as to synchronize with the clock speed of the game machine based on the received indication data, and
the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the computer so as to reduce the clock speed of the computer when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the game data distribution machine and to increase the clock speed of the computer when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the game data distribution machine, based on the received indication data.
(9) According to a ninth aspect of the invention, with computer-usable information embodied on an information storage medium or in a carrier wave, for realizing at least one of a master function and a slave function,
the information further comprises information for implementing:
means for generating indication data indicative of clock speed in realizing the master function;
means for transmitting the generated indication data to at least one of game machines which have the slave function in realizing the master function;
means for receiving the indication data sent from a game machine which has the master function in realizing the slave function;
clock adjusting means for adjusting the clock speed by a predetermined adjustment amount at a time, based on the received indication data in realizing the slave function; and
means for executing a game based on the adjusted clock speed in realizing the slave function, and
the clock adjusting means reduces the clock speed of a computer which uses the computer-usable information when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the game machine which has the master function and increases the clock speed of the computer when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the game machine which has the master function, based on the received indication data.
According to this aspect of the invention, the clock of the master machine is synchronized with that of the slave machine by transmitting the indication data from the machine having the master function to the machine having the slave function. Here, the clock means a clock signal which is the basis of operating speed of each section within the machine. Accordingly, each section within the machine may be operated synchronously by synchronizing the clock. Thereby, the image displaying section and the sound producing section are synchronized among each machines and the display of the game screen and the production of the game sound may be adequately synchronized.
Further, because a data amount of the indication data itself is small as compared to the clock signal itself, the transmission of the indication data will hardly affect the transmission band. Accordingly, it is effective in synchronizing among game processing machines which become opponents in a fighting type game, in playing a game while making communication with a remote site and in playing a network type game in a limited transmission band.
It is noted that the indication data is an accumulated clock-count, an accumulated raster-count and the like for example.
When the game data and the indication data are generated and distributed to the plurality of game machines, the clock speed is adjusted based on the indication data in the game machine. Then, because the image displaying means and the like within the game machine operate based on the clock speed, it becomes possible to adequately synchronize and display the game images among the game machines when the game images are displayed based on the game data. It is noted that the game data includes at least one of game image data for displaying game images and game sound data fore producing game sound.
(10) According to a tenth aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the clock adjusting means adjusts the clock speed of the slave machine so as to reduce the clock speed of the slave machine when the clock speed thereof is faster than the clock speed of the master machine and to increase the clock speed of the slave machine when the clock speed thereof is slower than the clock speed of the master machine, based on the received indication data.
Thereby, the machine having the slave function can be synchronized with the machine having the master function by adjusting its clock speed. That is, the synchronization among the master and slave machines may be realized without putting a load on the master machine.
(11) According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the clock adjusting means finely adjusts the clock speed of the slave machine so as to change gradually to the clock speed of the master machine by a predetermined adjustment amount at a time, based on the received indication data.
It allows the clock speed of the slave machine to be adjusted gradually so as to change to that of the master machine as a target. That is, even when an error occurs in the indication data or the transmission is delayed, the clock may be synchronized with the clock of the master machine accurately without reacting to those abnormal states as much as possible.
Here, preferably the predetermined adjustment amount is a degree which will not change the clock speed considerably. That is, the game player can play the game conformably without noticing the implementing moment of the synchronous adjustment because the synchronization may be taken without disturbing the sounds and images by synchronizing the clock by the fine adjustment.
(12) According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the indication data is an accumulated clock-count.
It allows the slave side to run individually by using own clock and the synchronization may be taken at the point of time when the next indication data is received by synchronization using an accumulated clock-count as a unit even when the indication data is omitted by a communication error or the like.
(13) According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the game machine realizes the master function when being started before the other game machine, and realizes the slave function when being started after the other game machine.
It allows the respective game machines to be adequately synchronized each other when the game machine increases after another, because the game machine activated at first functions as the master machine.